Political Participation: Voting and Voter Behavior

suffrage

the legal right to vote

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

civic duty

a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs--i.e. voting

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.

motor voter act

a 1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver's license.

policy voting

electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters' policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues

Battle ground states (swing states)

the key states that the presidential candidates focus on because they are most likely to decide the outcome of the electoral college vote.

party identification

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

mid-term election (Congressional election)

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term

party-line voting

process in which voters select candidates by their party affiliation for all public officials across the ballot

prospective voting

voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

retrospective voting

voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on the recent past.

rational-choice voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

15th Amendment (1870)

U.S. cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, color, or creed

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators

19th Amendment (1920)

Ratified on August 18, 1920 (drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton), prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. The Constitution allows the states to determine the qualifications for voting, and until the 1910's most states disenfranchised women. The amendment was the culmination of the women's suffrage movement in the U.S.

23rd Amendment

Gives Washington DC electoral college votes as if it were a state (DC still has no representation in Congress)

26th Amendment

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

24th Amendment

Abolishes poll taxes

GOTV (get out the vote)

a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls

presidential primaries

Elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way.

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members (prior to election day) of a particular political party can vote

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

blanket primary

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

Australian ballot

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

Caucus

A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.

white primaries

A southern expedient to keep blacks from participating in primary elections

Disenfranchisement

the state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote.

Grandfather Clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

Universal White Male Suffrage

Idea that as US democracy progressed voting restrictions on white males were eased allowing Jackson's popularity in the election of 1824 and finally his victory in the Election of 1828

voting eligible population

citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot

electorate

all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a policy designed to reduce the barriers to voting for those suffering discrimination.--eliminated literacy tests

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

Preclearance

mandated by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the prior approval by the Justice Department of changes to or new election laws by certain States

1957 Civil Rights Act

A bipartisan commission established by IKE to investigate if certain citizens were being deprived the right to vote

Gender gap in voting

women vote more than men

voting blocs

a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections

voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

HAVA (Help America Vote Act - 2002)

- Provisional Voting

- Voting Information

- Updated and Upgraded Voting Equipment

- Statewide Voter Registration Databases

- Voter Identification Procedures

- Administrative Complaint Procedures

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.

provisional ballots

a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

absentee ballot

One that allows a person to vote without going to the polls on Election Day

online voting

Casting votes over the Internet.

linkage institutions

Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions.

general election (presidential)

election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices